You created a brand, but how do you make it known to people? How do you build a following? How do you get people engaged? How do you stand out from your competitors? I am here to answer all of these questions.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. This is extremely important, you must figure out who your product or service is for. Understand their needs, what they want to see, and where they spend the most time. Will they be on TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram? Most of my customers are Gen Z and millennials and I put out most of my content on TikTok because that’s where they spend the most time.
CREATE CONTENT SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR AUDIENCE. What does your audience want to see? Because my audience is primarily younger, I put out a lot of TikToks with different trends/dances – this is what gets their attention. But, if you’re going after middle-aged mom’s, you will likely need a different strategy. For example, if you have a baby food company, you may want to create videos/infographics educating the consumer about your product and why it’s better than your competitors. Also having customer or influencer product reviews is key to build trust between you and your future customers. Put yourself in the customers shoes, understand what they need to see in order to trust you and spend their own money on your product.
BE HUMAN. People buy from people, and I think the one thing that has helped my brand is being personable. If you’re a small business, show people behind the scenes stuff. Take them along the journey. There is nothing cooler than seeing something grow in real time. This allows your customers to connect with you/your team on a deeper level vs. a large corporation.
ENGAGE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE REGULARLY. This is a BIG one! I think a lot of companies fail at this and it really hurts them in the long run. Reply to comments and messages, and make your customers feel included. A strong brand is almost like a community and you need to put in the effort to build it, customer by customer. There is nothing worse than reaching out to a company and hearing nothing but crickets back.
BE CONSISTENT. This one takes the cake… this is so incredibly important. You need to be posting everyday – this is what it takes to build a following on social media. The beginning is the hardest, and it can definitely be discouraging (I have been there), but you need to keep putting out content regardless of the engagement you’re receiving.
I think all of these components make up a successful brand. You need to understand that a brand is so much more than just a logo and name. Think of Nike and Apple. People who buy Nike likely don’t buy Adidas, and people who own Apple products likely don’t purchase Microsoft products. Give your customers a reason to stick with you. It’s important to acknowledge that there will likely be other competitors in your space, and if you don’t have a strong brand, the customer will likely not choose your product. Every. Detail. Matters!
By Erica Rankin
Founder/CEO of Bro Dough; a 100% plant-based, protein infused, better-for-you, edible cookie dough. She is extremely passionate about health and fitness and launched the company in late 2019.
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